Michigan Trip--Day 3 (The Grand Hotel)

After we got out of the carriage, we were escorted to the Parlor. They don't call it a lobby.

We were given a special welcome and received our room keys. And, of course, they carried our luggage for us. Every room in the hotel is decorated differently--385 of them. This is one of the more conservative ones. Note the geraniums on the headboards.

Geraniums are a trademark of the Grand Hotel. It has been operating since 1887, and is listed as a "Distinctive Destination" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Over 130,000 guests stay there each season.

There was a little time to relax and dress for a five course dinner. Casual attire is not allowed in the dining room.

The photo of the group published on this blog earlier was taken in the Parlor as we prepared for dinner. This is Martha Speir with her brother, Steve Wiyatt and his wife Jean along with another relative, Linda Griffy.

Dinner was very enjoyable, and many of us had the Grand Pecan Balls, one of the famous deserts.  More than 50,000 of them are served every season!


This is a view of the porch after dark. There was another group using it earlier in the evening. It is 660 feet long, the longest front porch in the world. There are over 2500 geraniums in the 260 planter boxes on and around the porch. There are over 5200 geraniums in all the flower beds around the hotel!

After dinner there were a couple of bands playing. Some of us gathered in the ballroom, but not many were interested in dancing.

However, Joe and Kathy Harrison and Rick and Mona Diefenbach represented us well.    

There were some comments that individuals didn't know if they would be able to sleep because of the unique decor in their rooms, but all-in-all we had a very restful night--no traffic noise for sure.

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